Premieres

Born in South Korea, Sun-Young “Sunny” Park (b.1988) started violin at age six and began her composition studies at seventeen. Since then, her works have been performed internationally and in some of the world’s top concert halls. Most recently, she won the 44th Pan Music Festival International Competition with Pierrot for Violin and Piano. It was the piece she was commissioned to write for violin and piano by a Munich violinist Mariella Haubs, which was originally premiered in Gasteig, Munich Germany. As the winner of the prestigious New Juilliard Ensemble (NJE) competition, Sun-Young was commissioned to write Legend, a chamber ensemble work that premiered at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The New York edition of The Korea Times applauded her experiment of combining Western music with Eastern sound, with a particularly Korean sound. One of her most recent performance of the piano trio, HEEM, performed by Allant Trio in New York gained a big success: the trio and the piece, HEEM, was invited to have a performance in Carnegie Weill Recital Hall. Also her exploration in music led her to participate in the ‘Choreographer and Composer Collaboration Project’ where she collaborated with a choreographer to compose new dance music. It was performed in the Wilson Theater of the Juilliard School. Sun-Young’s music has been performed in concert halls including Gasteig Hall of Germany, Alice Tully Hall, the Juilliard School of NY, Izumi Hall of Japan, Korean Cultural Center of NY, Central Conservatory of China, Opera House of Vietnam and the Keum-Ho Art Center, An-Yang City Hall, Seoul Art Center, of Korea.

Zach Gulaboff Davis is a composer, pianist, conductor, and educator from Salem, Oregon, whose goal is to compose music that is enjoyable and meaningful for audiences and performers alike. Zach holds a B.A, summa cum laude, in piano performance and composition/theory from Linfield College, Oregon, and a M.M. in composition from Mannes College of Music in New York City. He is currently a doctoral student in composition at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

He is writing a piece for soprano saxophone, cello, and piano.

Scott Pender (b. 1959) has called the phonograph his first music teacher. He cites his parents’ “extensive, eclectic record collection” as a primary early influence. As a child, he began making up tunes at the piano and taught himself to read music. Formal study in piano and theory as a teenager led to his enrollment at Peabody Conservatory, where he began composition studies with Jean Ivey. He holds degrees in philosophy from Georgetown University and music composition from Peabody Conservatory.

He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study in the United Kingdom with the English composer Gavin Bryars. In addition to a MacDowell Colony residency, he has received honors and grants from the Virginia Arts Festival John Duffy Composers Institute, the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, the American Music Center, ASCAP, BMI, Meet the Composer, the Southeastern Composers’ League, The Phi Beta Kappa Society, and others. Pender has written a wide variety of music including theme music for the C-SPAN series First Ladies: Influence & Image. Recent recordings include Music for Woodwinds (NV6127) and 88+12 (NV5968), both from Navona Records, and Foothills for string orchestra & piano from Petworth Music (PM1401). Scott Pender’s music is published by Petworth Music (BMI).

A native of Florida, he has made Washington, D.C. his home for more than 35 years. For more information, visit www.scottpender.net. 

Being Human is coming up soon! 

Seed Bismuth, for soprano saxophone, violoncello, and piano (2014) – 6'

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Seed Bismuth, composed for Kenny Baik, takes its title from the fantasy (and sometimes science fiction) webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court, in which the school was, according to legend, grown from “seed bismuth.” Following the title, the piece combines the aspects of growth with something more mechanical and metallic. The main theme in particular derives from the appearance of bismuth crystals, with the spectrum of colors in angular spirals (image search “bismuth” to see the effect). Seed Bismuth is rhythmic and harmonically colorful, written for both the individual characteristics of the instruments, and the ways they combine.

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http://seanwilliamcalhoun.com/seed_bismuth.html

Premiered at International Saxophone Navy Symposium 2014 

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May 06, 2014

Divided in three movements: I. Jacob and Rachel II. Seven Years III. Leah

World Premiered at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University  

commissioned by Kenny Baik, Yun Ju Lee, Ju Young Lee

@2014